Daily Archives: October 9, 2014

PATIENT ISOLATED WITH HEMORRHAGIC FEVER AT POTCHEFSTROOM HOSPITAL


Potchefstroom- A 72 year-old man from one on the farming communities in Potchefstroom, came to the hospital on the 08th of October 2014 after hours. This patient came complaining of fever, weaknesses and cough. 

Clinically, he had signs and symptoms of haemorrhagic fever and patient was isolated. Blood investigations were done and the Virologist was informed based on the results. The Virologist then advised on infection control measures that had to be taken.

“After the advice, IPC Officer came immediately to assist on management and to strengthen infection control measures. The staff and patient were quarantined and after that Klerksdorp/Tshepong Hospital Complex was notified as a designated centre of isolation in the North West Province.

“The patient was then referred to Klerksdorp/Tshepong Hospital Complex and all staff members who were in contact with that patient were disinfected including Casualty Department and all the equipments” departmental spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane said.

All those who were in contact with the patient will be regularly monitored for any signs and symptoms.

The focal person at Tlokwe Sub-District was also notified.

On transfer still, the infection control measures were adhered to.

The quarantine was uplifted immediately after the patient was transferred.
-TDN
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GBR Chapter to be launched in Mamelodi 


Mahikeng- Opportunities for intellectual and business development, bulk buying for cooperatives and spaza shop owners, mentorships for contractors, emerging businesses, youth and women enterprises and professional development are to be shared with the business sector,professionals and church leaders at the launch of the Global Business Roundable (GBR) to be held at the Mamelodi YMCA  cnr Tsamaya and Sibande Road on Saturday.

The programme for the two-hour launch to commence at 2:00pm includes an addresses by City of Tshwane Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Development and Planning, Subesh Pillay, Executive Members of the Tshwane GBR and a presentation on manufacturing incubation.

“Since its launch on 21 August 2009,GBR as a global business networking initiative has experienced exponential growth around the country,on the continent and world-wide” spokesperson Lesiba kgwele said.  

Chapters have also been recently launched at the University of the Western Cape,University of Zululand,University of Kwa Zulu Natal,TUT Witbank campuses following country launches in Mali,Burkina Faso ,Zimbabwe and Senegal.

The initiative is also to be launched in France on the 15th of next month.
-TDN
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It’s always an honour to play for my country – Letsholonyane


Polokwane- When many thought his international had come to an abrupt end, Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Reneilwe “Yeye“ Letsholonyane put in the extra work at his club and was rewarded with a call-up to the Bafana Bafana squad that will face Congo in back to back CAF Orange Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2015 Qualifiers.

So excellent has Letsholonyane been on the field that he is now the top goal scorer in the Premier Soccer League with four strikes in seven matches. He shares the lead with four others – his clubmate Mandla Masango, Lerato Chabangu (Moroka Swallows), David Zulu (Chippa United) and Moeketsi Sekola (Free State Stars).

Both Masango and Zulu are also on national team duty with Yeye.

“It is good to be back. It’s always lovely representing your country, for me it’s an honour. Every time I am given an opportunity to don the national team jersey, I will do so with pride,” said Letsholonyane at the Bafana Bafana training camp in Phokeng near Rustenburg shortly before the squad’s departure to Congo.

“I will do my best to try and give the same perfomance as I have been giving at Chiefs because frankly I wouldn’t be here if I was not playing well for my club. I will keep on working hard and help the national team.”

The 32-year old midfielder is the most-capped player in the current Bafana Bafana squad. He has made 48 appearances, while the closest is Tokelo Rantie with 22, then Dean Furman on 20. Andile Jali comes in with 17, Oupa Manyisa and Thulani Serero are both on 15 while Eric Mathoho and Thabo Matlaba have 11 caps each. The rest of the players have played under 10 matches for South Africa, while some haven’t been capped – Dumisani Msibi, Rivaldo Coetzee, Kwanda Mngonyama, Fagrie Lakay and Zulu.

Letsholonyane, who was left out of the squad that faced Sudan and Nigeria, is enjoying working with Mashaba.

“Coaches are not the same, and yes Shakes is different from all the other coaches I have played under and he is bringing a positive attitude in the national team. What I saw is a new energy, the youngsters are buzzing and motivated to represent their country and I am happy with what I saw so far,” added Letsholonyane.
He is well aware of the task at hand when they get to Pointe Noire.

“The challenge is that we are not playing at home, so we have to deal with their fans. But at the end of the day we are gong to play football, and that is the same the world over even though the conditions may not be the same. We know it won’t be easy because Congo is not a walkover. They have shown they are a good team with their past results. That they are playing at home should not be an excuse, we will try and win the game,” concluded Letsholonyane.

South Africa will play Congo Saturday, 11 October.

Kickoff is at 16h30 (SA time).

The reverse leg will be played on Wednesday, 15 October at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.

Kickoff is at 20h05.
-TDN
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Three nabbed for murder in N West


By Obakeng Maje
Three accused in the murder case of a 52- year- old Sheryl Bester of Ottoshoop, Bathobotlhe Motseothata ( 24), Patrick Kgopolo Motlhaga (31) and Harry Meyer ( 32) appeared in the Zeerust Magistrate’s Court on Thursday on charges of murder, house breaking and theft of motor vehicle.  

North West police spokesperson Pelonomi Makau said the suspects were remanded in custody and will appear again on 20 October 2014 for further investigations.

“It is alleged that on Saturday the accused from Maruping village in Ottoshoop entered the deceased’s house, strangled her and stabbed her with an unknown object on her arms. The accused allegedly drove away with the victim’s vehicle which later hit the gate of one community member who alerted the police” Makau said.

One of the accused was found inside the deceased’s vehicle and the other two suspects were traced and later arrested.-TDN
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NWEST PROVINCIAL GOVT SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES ITS BUA LE PUSO PROGRAMME  


Taung – As part of bringing services closer to the people and providing direct and immediate response to problems facing communities, North West Provincial Members of the Executive Council (EXCO) and public servants including senior government officials across all government departments in the province were yesterday operating their offices from the Taung Taxi rank in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District during the official launch of the Bua Le Puso initiative. 

The ambitious Bua-Le Puso is an initiative by EXCO led by the Premier Supra Mahumapelo to bring government to the people and provide direct and immediate response across all Departments to concerns that people raise about government services.

Briefing public servants rendering services on the ground during the launch, Leader of government business MEC Manketsi Tlhape said the programme is different to the normal government imbizo programme because it is cost-effective and its effect is felt by the community on the ground immediately.

She asked public servants to provide government services to the people with a smile and politely.

“We are working for government which means that the manner in which we must conduct ourselves must be in a good, polite manner. We want to change the negative perception about the manner in which public servants conduct themselves in providing services to the people,” said Tlhape also speaking on behalf of Premier Supra Mahumapelo who was not at the launch because he was attending the Presidential Coordinating Council convened by President Jacob Zuma on the same day.

Public servants dressed in various colours of their departments enthusiastically interacted with community members as they assisted them with government services on the spot.

Various government departments like Home Affairs, SASSA, Health, and Rural, Environment and Agricultural Development came with their mobile offices to provide immediate government assistance to community members.

By the end of the day, the Department of Rural, Environment and Agricultural Development had assisted 143 people, the Department of Finance, Economy and Enterprise Development 57, department of Health 260, Department of Community Safety and Transport Management 50, Department of Social Development 127, the Department of Culture, Arts and Traditional Affairs 210, and SSASA 144. 

MEC Tlhape who also visited government projects around Taung including the place where the Taung Skull was discovered, said the Bua le Puso programme was different to the normal government imbizo programme because it is cost effective and its effect is felt by the community on the ground.

“We have decided to constantly engage as leadership of the province with our communities and provide assistance to the concerns that they raise quickly in line with Batho Pele principles.

“This platform does not need expensive tents, catering and all those things but it needs committed public servants and leadership to deal with all the challenges raised by the communities on the spot,” she said.

Tlhape said many communities do not know where to get certain government services and the platform also provide an opportunity for departments to display what they are doing.

Modisaotsile Molokele,38, from Mogopela A, near Taung said government is doing very well by coming to the communities.

“In the past we had always seen people in government talking through the media about service delivery issues. But today is completely different because they have come to us to work here amongst the community and resolve our problems right here without delays. It’s good to meet with the MECs and know them because when we have problems that are not resolved, we can go to them directly,” he said. 

Remoneilwe Moepi (43) from Taung said he was very happy to raise his concerns directly with the MEC.

“I told the MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management to intervene and assist in solving the high crime rate that we experience in Taung,” he said.

Community Safety and Transport Management MEC Oageng Molapisi promised Mr Moepi that his department will strengthen the work of the police in the area and deal decisively with the escalating stock theft in the area.-TDN
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Premier Mahumapelo serious about reviving Arts and Culture as the pillar of the economy in the North West


Mahikeng – North West Premier, Supra Mahumapelo has urged local and professional artists to come together in resuscitating the creative industry and developing local artists in the province. 

Speaking during TNA breakfast show on SABC 2 Morning live, from the Mmabatho Convention Centre this morning, Premier Mahumapelo said the best way of bringing back the vibrancy in the arts and culture in the province is to work with experienced artists who must come up with proposals on how to take the province forward.

“We need to work together to make our province more vibrant like it used to be in the past, of producing best artists and exciting events.

“If we are serious about radically bringing back the status that our province used to hold in the past, we need to unite,” he said.

Mahumapelo said his Provincial Administration has prioritized arts, culture and tourism as the key pillars of the economy of the province.

“We do not want to depend much on mining as the pillar of our economy in the province but we believe that arts and culture can assist us in taking the province forward.

“We need men and women who are passionate about arts and culture to come up with exciting ideas that can revive the province,” he said.

He said the province want to use arts and culture to market tourism in the province.

He emphasized that the province is known of its richness in arts and culture, adding that artists can market the province very well.

MEC for Culture, Arts and Traditional Affairs, Tebogo Modise said her department has set aside 10 million for the annual Mahika Mahikeng Cultural event that is scheduled to commence in November this year.

MEC Modise said her department intends to support and market this event to be one of the best in the country.

“We intend to work with our local artists and professional artists who are from this province to come up with best ideas for this event.

We believe that the people of the province have talent and capacity to come up with brilliant ideas that can give birth to best product,” she said MEC Modise.

One of the Province’s well-known artists who come from Mahikeng, Keabetswe Motsilenyane supported Premier Mahumapelo and MEC Modise’s plans to develop Arts and Culture in the Province.

She urged the provincial government to include them throughout the process of developing the arts and culture in the province.

“We do embrace all the plans that the Premier has mentioned about the province. It is very important for us as professional artists, government and business to work together in developing the arts in our province,” she said.-TDN
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A man dies at Manthe clinic, family want answers

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David Ikwaleng Nkwe
By Obakeng Maje
Taung- The family of Nkwe is aggrieved after their father, David Ikwaleng Nkwe was taken to Manthestad village clinic after he experienced chest pains.

They allegedly arrived at the Manthestad clinic at around 19h15 on Saturday(27 September 2014) and a 69-year-old man allegedly experienced some complications after one hour while waiting for an ambulance.

Nkwe was vomiting and convulsing after some time, and his family suggested to use their own transport to take him to Taung hospital which is only 18km away, but according to family member, the nurses vehemently refused.

“We took my brother to Manthestad clinic after he complained about chest pains. He was conscious when we arrived at the clinic. He started to have inhaling difficulties after an hour and the nurses called for an ambulance, which it never came” Moganetsi Nkwe said.

According to Moganetsi, who is a younger brother to the deceased, said his brother would’ve been alive if the nurses did not refuse to let them take their brother to the hospital because there was no ambulance.

“The deceased passed away at around 21:45pm after there was no sign of an ambulance. The nurses said the district has only two ambulances which one of them was at Taung Cultural Calabash and the other one was in Kimberley delivering another patient” he said.

They believed if only the nurses allowed them to use their private vehicle to transport the patient, Nkwe would’ve been alive and they put a blame solely on the department as they alleged they were failed.

However the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Health Director Ruben Matsepe said the nurses did what they could’ve done, but unfortunately this turned out this way.

“This is an unfortunate event because the district have five functional ambulances. The patient arrived in deteriorating condition at the clinic and the nurse in charge tried to stabilize him and called for available ambulance” Matsepe said.

According to Matsepe, all four ambulances were on the field where 15 people died on Hartswater crash.

“The only ambulance that was available was obstetric ambulance that is designed only for labour women, but unfortunately the family demanded their patient. The patient died while our nurse was busy filling confirmation forms that outlines the family demands release of their patient without our consent” he said.

The family won’t hear any of the department’s excuses and want the department of health to be held accountable.

The deceased was buried on Saturday.(04 October 2014).-TDN
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Solidarity scores win in Saps equity plan

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Johannesburg – The SA Police Service has conceded that Solidarity’s application to be involved in consultation on the Saps’s employment equity plan for 2015 to 2019 is urgent, the trade union said on Thursday.

“The Saps’s concession that the case is urgent is an important step forward,” deputy general secretary Johan Kruger said in a statement.

“We have consistently maintained that it is urgent because consultation with other trade unions and Saps structures on the proposed plan is commencing on 28 October already.”

The concession was made together with an application by the Saps’s lawyers to postpone the case to 23 October.

Police spokesperson Solomon Makgale could not immediately be reached for comment.

Solidarity is challenging the police minister, the Saps, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union, and the SA Policing Union in the Labour Court in a bid to obtain a court order allowing the union to consult on the Saps’s employment equity plan.

“We believe we have strong grounds to bring the application,” Kruger said.

“It is clear to us that Popcru and Sapu, the two recognised police trade unions that have been involved in the drafting of the current employment equity plan, are not prepared to represent the interests of police members from minority and non-designated groups.”

– SAPA

Arms deal critic sticks to his guns

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Pretoria – Arms deal critic Terry Crawford-Browne on Thursday refused to retract his claims to the Seriti Commission of Inquiry that the aircraft the government bought in 1999 were not being used.

“The evidence of General Burger, who is the director of helicopter systems, is that they are frequently used for casualty evacuations. They are also used to train pilots,” Jennifer Caine, for the defence department, said while cross-examining Crawford-Browne at the inquiry’s public hearings in Pretoria.

“They have conducted operations in the DRC, Sudan and the Central African Republic. They have flown in excess of 18 000 hours. They have been used in numerous other rescue operations.”

They were also being used in anti-rhino-poaching missions.

Crawford-Browne said Caine’s details were not relevant to the inquiry’s terms of reference.

Caine asked Crawford-Browne whether he was prepared to withdraw a section of his sworn statement which reads: “With regards to the 30 Augusta helicopters purchased from Italy, I am informed that many of them are in storage and unused and/or rotting at Ysterplaat Air Force Base in Cape Town.”

Crawford-Browne said he would not retract and urged the commission to inspect the aircraft.

“I have not been to the base to verify it myself. It is one point that the commission may take an interest in. I am not prepared to withdraw it.”

Caine said Crawford-Browne’s submission was ridiculous.

On Tuesday, Crawford-Browne told the inquiry that government acquired four frigates reportedly equipped with defective engines and an obsolete combat suite and armoury system.

“South Africa acquired three submarines that spend most of the time on the ‘hard’ at Simon’s Town and 50 BAE Hawk and BAE/Saab Gripen fighter aircraft for which the country had almost no pilots to fly them, mechanics to maintain them, or even the money to fuel them.

“The arms deal was a confidence trick played at huge socio-economic cost to the people of South Africa, which has seriously undermined our still-fragile constitutional democracy,” said Crawford-Browne.

The commission was appointed by President Jacob Zuma three years ago to investigate alleged corruption in the arms procurement deal in 1999.

For billions of rands, government acquired, among other hardware, 26 Gripen fighter aircraft and 24 Hawk lead-in fighter trainer aircraft for the air force, and frigates and submarines for the navy.

– SAPA

DA spy tapes: DA’s case ‘gets stronger’


The Democratic Alliance has received additional documents that were part of the so-called “spy tapes”.

“Some 25 or so documents were referred to in the record of decision given to us and were not part of the record,” said DA federal executive chairperson James Selfe yesterday.

The national director of public prosecutions was directed to give them to the DA.

“They have given us what they have been able to find, locate and source. There are some documents that we asked for that they can’t find.”

He said the DA’s lawyers were going through the documents and would communicate with the State attorney if needed. Otherwise the documents would be used to start drafting a supplementary affidavit for the review.

The DA was handed the spy tapes last month after the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that the National Prosecuting Authority had to comply with a previous order to release the tapes. Zuma had opposed the move.

The recordings, internal memoranda, reports and minutes of meetings dealing with the contents of the recordings had to be provided.

The tapes, containing recorded phone conversations, allegedly reveal collusion between the former head of the Directorate of Special Operations (the now defunct Scorpions) Leonard McCarthy, and the NPA’s former head Bulelani Ngcuka, to manipulate the prosecutorial process before the ANC’s Polokwane conference in 2007.

Zuma was elected ANC president at the conference. Former president Thabo Mbeki had been a contender for another term.

The charges were dropped shortly before Zuma was sworn in as president in 2009. Then acting National Director of Public Prosecutions, Mokotedi Mpshe, said the tapes showed there was a political conspiracy against Zuma and so the case against him could not continue.

Selfe said the DA was still convinced that it had a case for review.

“We more convinced than ever that we have a case for review and that case only gets stronger the more documentation has been made available to us,” he said.

The DA was hoping to lodge its affidavit for the review next week.

“We hope to be able to be in court roughly by March next year.”

– Sapa